# Ở: be at / in in Vietnamese (A1)

> Ở is the everyday word for where. On its own it's a verb, "to be at, to live, to stay": Tôi ở Sài Gòn means I live in Saigon, or I'm in Saigon now.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/o-at/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**be at / in**

Pattern: `[person] + ở + [place] · [verb] + ở + [place]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: o

*Ở* is the everyday word for where. On its own it's a verb, "to be at, to live, to stay": *Tôi ở Sài Gòn* means I live in Saigon, or I'm in Saigon now. *Chị ở đâu?* asks where someone lives, or where they are. It needs no *là*, because *ở* already does the job of "am, is, are".

After another verb, *ở* means "at" or "in", and the place comes after it: *làm ở bệnh viện* (work at a hospital), *ăn ở nhà* (eat at home).

*Ở* and a place can also open the sentence, to set the scene: *Ở Việt Nam, xe máy nhiều lắm.* In Vietnam, there are lots of motorbikes.

*Ở* is for places, not clock times. For a time, put the time first or use *lúc*: *Bảy giờ em về*, not *em về ở bảy giờ*. After *đi*, the place needs no *ở*: *đi chợ*. On signs and in formal writing you'll see *tại* instead: *Thanh toán tại quầy*, pay at the counter.

## A common mistake

✗ Tôi là ở Sài Gòn.

✓ Tôi ở Sài Gòn.

*Ở* already means "to be" somewhere, so it needs no *là*. *Là* links two nouns: *Tôi là giáo viên*.

## Examples

- Em ở quận mấy? — Which district do you live in?
- Dạ, em ở Bình Thạnh. — I live in Bình Thạnh.
- Saigon: Ba mẹ tôi ở Đà Nẵng. | Hà Nội: Bố mẹ tôi ở Đà Nẵng. — My parents live in Đà Nẵng.
- Chị làm ở bệnh viện. — I work at a hospital.
- Saigon: Trưa nay mình ăn ở nhà nha. | Hà Nội: Trưa nay mình ăn ở nhà nhé. — Let's have lunch at home today.

## Words in this pattern

- [ở](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/o-at/#s_o_at): at, in

## Compare

- [At (formal): tại](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tai-at-formal/): at (written)
- [Where? ở đâu at the end](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/o-dau-where/): where (location)?
- [Position words: trên, dưới, trong, ngoài, trước, sau, cạnh](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/location-words/): on / under / in / out / in front / behind / next to
- [đi + place, no 'to': đi Hà Nội, đi chợ, đi làm](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/di-place-no-prep/): go to (no preposition)

Next in Places and movement: [By, with, in: bằng (transport, tool, language)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bang-by-means/)

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